


Stepping Stones

by TortiTabby



Series: Bingo Fics! [2]
Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Adoption, Anxiety, Established Relationship, Family Feels, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-03
Updated: 2018-10-03
Packaged: 2019-07-24 12:21:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,781
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16174973
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TortiTabby/pseuds/TortiTabby
Summary: Dan and Phil work on expanding their family.





	Stepping Stones

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for @quercussp for being my lovely beta for this! 
> 
> This is for the Phandom Fic Fest Bingo - to fill my squares for "Cooking Lessons", "Curtain Fic" and of course "Adoption"

“You need to make sure you roll the dough better than that, dear.” Kath put a warm hand on Dan’s shoulder encouragingly.  
“You better not think I don’t see you eating that, Philip.” She added without turning around.  
Dan snorted at his partner’s appalled face, covered in various ingredients they hadn’t gotten to yet.  
A period of working silently at the designated food stations in the kitchen carried on but was warm and familiar. They hadn’t wanted to rush into their news but waiting was eating away at Dan and he knew his partner felt the same way.  
He caught Phil’s eye and raised an eyebrow.  
_Now?_ It asked.  
“Mum after we uh,” he paused and looked back to Dan.  
“After we’re done in the kitchen we want to sit down with you and Nigel if that’s alright.” Dan finished.  
She widened her eyes and glanced between them. “Well that isn't fair, is it?” she scoffed.  
“I need to know how you make your mince pies, Kath. It's nothing bad, we’ll tell you right after.” Dan promised.  
She turned to Phil and searched him with her eyes head to toe. He didn't hide the discomfort or anxiety that was eating away at him very well and Dan knew she saw right through it just as he did.  
“I still think it's odd. This is the first year you've wanted to learn how to make all of my Christmas treats instead of just eating them all.”  
Dan couldn't help but laugh at that. She wasn't wrong. This Christmas was going to be different than all of the ones before. It would be the first Christmas for their new, tiny family. Dan almost choked up just thinking about the tiny two year old Amelie who they were going to be able to take home in just three short weeks.  
It had taken a lot of work and compromise. Dan knew when they saw her bright green eyes light up her freckled face that the energetic toddler with pigtails that put Dan's curls to shame was the one. They kept it quiet and fought like hell to make her their daughter and by this time next week she hopefully would be.  
“Earth to Dan.” Phil beamed at him from across their new kitchen.  
They had only been in their new home, their permanent forever home, for a little over a year. There were countless arguments and struggles to get them there.  
Dan glanced out to the sitting area in their surprisingly good sized garden that Amelie could run around in with a dog she would pick out some day.  
“Okay. No.” Kathryn dusted the flour off of her hands on her apron. “I'll teach you all of the recipes I know afterwards but we need to go and sit down. Dan looks close to tears and you boys aren't waiting a minute longer to tell me why.”  
Phil crossed the kitchen in only three big strides with his long legs. He cupped Dan's cheeks and melted into a smile. He kissed Dan swiftly before leaning back.  
“Alright?” He whispered in a soft voice.  
Dan nodded. He could see Kath watching, clearly concerned. They had never been one for public displays of affection mainly due to habit. If he wasn't worried she was thinking the worst case scenario, scared to death, he would laugh at the look on her face.

Dan stretched his legs out and took a deep breath of the cool autumn air. Nigel pulled his chair up to the outdoor table and studied the both of them.  
They had rehearsed telling them an embarrassing amount of times. Once everyone was seated and they had the floor they would talk about the new home and the empty room that had nothing in it that was soon to be remade into their daughter's childhood bedroom.-  
“We're going to be parents!” Phil blurted out before he even sat down.  
“Phil!” Dan exploded into laughter.  
“What!” Kath was on her feet with an arm awkwardly around the both of them before Dan knew what was happening. He glanced over her shaking shoulder and got a thumbs up from Nigel.  
“Her name is Amelie. She's two and soon she's going to be ours.” Dan said, his wet eyes matching his mother in law’s.  
Phil hurried to pull up a picture the agency had taken of the three of them.  
Dan and Phil were both looking down in awe of the little girl who had a smile from ear to ear aimed right towards the camera.  
“We get to take her home as soon as the paperwork and her room are both all set to go.” Phil explained.  
They celebrated far into the autumn night, after Kathryn got over the fact that Phil had accidentally let it spill to Martyn before they had told anybody anything.  
They moved inside once the sun went down and the chill crept in. It wasn't enough to make Dan feel cold, really. He wasn't sure if he would ever feel anything but warm again. He knew logically that wasn't how life worked but at the moment it was hard to fathom.  
The Lester's left the next morning with promises to come back to meet their new granddaughter as soon as possible.

Dan was waiting for his mother to meet him on Skype so he could tell her.  
He felt bad not telling her in person but it was near impossible to drag his family up to London and they still had a lot to do in the kids room .  
The familiar song from Skype rang out from his laptop, making his nerves jump in ways it hadn't in a good eleven or twelve years now.  
“Mum! Hi!” He waved as her face popped up in his screen.  
“Good morning Daniel. Phil.” She added with a nod as Phil walked over to lean in over Dan's shoulder.  
She arched an eyebrow.  
“What.”  
Dan had to laugh. It wasn't a question but more of an accusatory statement.  
“Mum.” Dan hesitated. Phil squeezed his shoulder encouragingly.  
“We've got some great, big news.” Phil exclaimed.  
Dan smiled widely. “How do you feel about being a grandma?”  
At first Dan thought their screen froze or that she was cross for telling him on Skype, but then she squealed excitedly and demanded details.  
“You just need the room done and then once your paperwork is finished she gets to come home?” She asked once they filled her in.  
Dan felt a flurry of love at how excited their families were and how instantaneously Amelie was accepted with open arms.  
“Yeah but we have loads to do. I don't know where to start. The carpet is bad and needs to be replaced and we want to paint it.”  
“It is going to be just another thing we need done but we figured we should do it before we get the furniture to move in.” Phil added.  
Dan groaned. It seemed like a never ending list.  
“Right. Well me and your Nana will be there tomorrow.” She busied herself on her phone without looking up.  
“Mum you don't have to do that.” Dan could feel a lump form in his throat as he fought not to get choked up.  
“Don’t be silly, Dan. We're going to get that room ready for my granddaughter so I can meet her.” Dan knew there was no room for argument.  
“Text us when you're on your way.” Phil said before they ended the call nearly an hour later.  
“Wow.” Dan leaned back in the chair. Phil wrapped his arms around the front and squeezed Dan tightly.  
“She is already so loved.” He murmured in Dan's ear.  
Dan hummed in agreement. The thought made his head feel like it was full of stuffing. It was hard to think through the fog and the adrenaline from telling his mum was wearing off rapidly. His eyelids started to droop.  
  
Dan barely remembered Phil dragging him to the bathroom and then bed, but the sunlight pouring through the crack of the curtains and chorus of birds outside of it told him it must be the next day.  
He stretched out and frowned when the lanky body he knew better than his own was missing from their warm and cozy bed.  
He groaned. That was just too bad for Phil because Dan didn't plan on leaving the oasis of their sheets tangled around his long legs.  
He grabbed his phone from the bedside table to see three missed calls and two irritated texts from his Mum.  
The day before came rushing back as he jumped out of bed and through the closest pair of joggers he could find as well as his shirt from last night on and rushed to find Phil.

He sighed in relief as he ran into their lounge to find Phil sitting with Dan's mum and grandma.  
“Good morning sleeping beauty!” his mum smirked.  
His grandma made her way over to him with her arms spread wide.  
“You're going to be a great dad!” she smiled at him with shining eyes.  
He squeezed her back before rolling his eyes at his mother.  
“You told her already!” She shrugged. He couldn't find it in himself to actually be cross.  
“Adoption, eh?” his nan asked.  
“Of course.” he said softly. “Did you know one of my favorite family members is adopted?”  
She rolled her eyes fondly before hugging him even harder.  
“Go get dressed. Let's get this room done already. I can't wait to meet our little Amelie.” His mum piped up from the sofa.

Dan quickly realized he knew next to nothing about remodeling a bedroom.  
“Just make sure they’re even layers of paint and it’ll look fine.” His mum said, reading his expression.  
He dunked the roller back in the soft sage green color that had taken them an hour to agree on.  
He glanced at Phil who had been silent at his side the whole time, painting away endlessly.  
He nudged his shoulder against Phil’s.  
“Okay?”  
Phil nodded and shot a tired grin Dan’s way.  
“I couldn’t sleep last night. I’m so excited but it’s pretty nerve wracking. I hope I’m a good dad.” He met Dan’s eyes. “I know you’ll be.”  
Dan cupped Phil’s face gently and leaned in for a soft kiss.  
“You take care of me pretty damn well. I’m not worried, Lester. I’m worry about a lot of things but not your parenting skills.”  
“I’m going to go help your grandma put together the crib before you make me cry,” Phil said with a laugh.  
Dan’s mum passed Phil on her way back into the room.  
“Want a hand?” He held out a paint roller for her and went diligently back to work.  
“So when can I spread the word? Have you told everyone?” She asked.  
Dan fidgeted uncomfortably.  
“I think everyone on Phil’s side is accounted for. I haven’t told Dad yet.”  
She gave him an understanding look and thought quietly for a few minutes before she spoke back up.  
“I think you should tell him now. Give him a call or facetime him like you did with us.” She suggested.  
Dan knew it wasn’t always easy for her to talk about him. The fact that they weren’t a team was a foreign concept from when he was younger and would talk to them. He admired her continuing to put Dan before her own needs and worries.  
“I’m going to do it now before I back out.” He laughed.  
She shooed him out of the room before she went back to the nearly finished wall they were working on.  
“I’m uh, going to call Dad and tell him really quick.”  
Phil jumped to his feet and disregarded the various pieces of wood around his feet.  
“Want company?” He asked. Dan couldn’t express how much gratitude he felt towards Phil. He knew if he asked Phil wouldn’t mind not being there but they were starting this next chapter together.  
“Please?”  
They sat outside in their perfect garden of their perfect house that Dan’s father hadn’t visited yet.  
The phone rang and rang and as soon as Dan almost frustratingly called it a lost cause his dad finally picked up.  
“Daniel?” He asked. He wasn’t a bad man. Dan hadn’t seen eye to eye with his father for most of his life and it seemed his life choices always seemed to wedge them apart further rather than bring them together. Dan knew his father thought it was on purpose, but he refused to let that worm it’s way under his skin.  
“Hi, Dad. I have something to tell you do you want to facetime?”  
“This should be fine, Dan. What’s going on?” He already sounded weary and exasperated.  
Dan glanced at Phil.  
“Phil’s here too.”  
“Hi!” Phil chirped.  
Silence.  
“Okay… is something wrong?” He asked after the quietness had already stretched into something unbearable.  
“No. Everything is actually really great.” He decided to just bite the bullet.  
“You’re going to be a grandpa! I’m going to be a dad soon!” He exclaimed.  
Nothing.  
The call lapsed back into the uncomfortable silence for so long Dan thought for a moment that his dad had simply hung up.  
Until- “Is it yours?”  
Dan saw red. He couldn’t believe the reaction after the biggest news Dan would ever tell him. He was fuming.  
Phil gripped onto Dan’s shoulder and gave him a worried look.  
“What does that mean?” It was inevitable. Dan tried not to fuel the fire but he was never any good at not letting the little things get the best of him.  
“You know what I mean. Is it yours or his? It's a simple question, Daniel, you don’t have to take that tone with me. I’m not trying to start another fight with you. I have a right to know if-”  
“We are adopting our daughter. She’s both of ours. She is the best thing that has ever happened to me already and I hope I never make her feel the way that you make me feel,” he spat.  
“Dan. Don’t be like that. I don’t think it’s an unheard of question with this kind of set up-”  
“We’ve got to go now, Mr. Howell.” Dan was surprised to hear Phil’s voice clipped.  
Phil grabbed the phone and ended the call without waiting for a response. He threw his arms around Dan’s shoulders and pulled him in tight.  
In Phil’s arms Dan could ignore the rest of the world and focus on controlling his breathing that he didn’t even realize was labored.  
“He isn’t worth the headache, dear.” He looked up to see his Grandma and Mum standing in the doorway.  
“He’s a right ass.” His mum added. “Sorry we eavesdropped. You were rather loud, in our defense.”  
Dan couldn’t help but feel put out. It was work; his and his father’s relationship. He knew they could get there someday but it was still disheartening it wasn’t this day.  
“I think if we keep up the pace we’ll get this room done by tomorrow night. I’ll order the pizza, you three go back to painting,” his grandma instructed, but made it a point to pat his arm before leaving to order.

Nearly a week later Amelie’s bedroom was approved as well as all of their paperwork, no doubt thanks to Phil’s persistent daily phone calls checking on them.  
Dan stood outside the old stone building that held their daughter inside. Snow flurried around them as December weather seeped into the late November morning.  
Phil placed a gloved hand in Dan’s and Dan knew this was a moment he would remember for the rest of his life.  
This was the moment he would tell Amelie when she was older and wanted to hear all of the details of her adoption and how excited they were to have her in their life. This was when his life changed for the better and he became a father and they went from being a couple to being a family.  
The heavy wooden door opened wide before they even reached it and the social worker Phil had harassed all week gave them a knowing smile as she carried Amelie down the icy steps.  
Amelie’s curls shot out at all angles from under her tiny hat. She looked between the two of them and reached out eagerly to be in their arms.  
Dan lifted her tiny body into his arms. He squeezed her tight and soaked up her delighted giggles.  
He passed her to an eager Phil and watched her eyes light up as he kissed her forehead.  
She was all theirs. They were all his.

**Author's Note:**

> Please let me know what you think! 
> 
> Come talk to me on tumblr:  
> tortitabby.tumblr.com


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